Follower for card trays



Dec. 31, 1929. F. L. G. 'sIRAuBEL 3 7 I FOLLQWER FOR CARD TRAYS Filed Sept 6. 192a 1/ I iEU OZTZOY I I I I'CJCPI'CIF L 66rd am Patented Dec. 31, 1 929 nNrrEo STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK L. G. STRAUBEL, O1? GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTO- MATIC FILE & INDEX 00., OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- CONSIN FOLLOWER FOR CARD TRAYS Application filed September 6, 1928. Serial No. 304,298.

My invention relates to the socalled followers as used in drawers or trays in which cards, letters or the like are filed vertically, its general objects being those of providing an unusually simple and inexpensive follower and follower-guide arrangement which will positively latch the follower against rearward movement but which will readily permit such rearward movement when the follower is tilted slightly forward.

In card index drawers or the like, it is customary to stack the cards between the front of the drawer and a slidably mounted follower, this follower being retained in its adjusted position by suitable latching means. The latching arrangements employed for this purpose commonly include pivotally connected parts which introduce complications and frequently get out of order, and which usually depend for their unlatching on the movement of a pivoted latching member disosed behind the main (or card-engaging) plate of the follower. Such arrangements commonly require additional space for the latching member behind the main follower plate, thereby reducing the effective capacity of the drawer, and in many types also require a considerable added depth of the drawer below the cards. Furthermore, many of the usual arrangements involve the use of a latching rod which extends below the cards and which must be detached before the follower can be inserted in or removed from the drawer, besides requiring a bottom slot in the drawer through which dust is apt to enter.

My present invention aims to overcome all of these objections by providing a file drawer and follower combination which will permit the drawer bottom to be sealed against the entrance of dust, which will require only a quite small height of the drawer below the cards, which will eliminate the need of any pivoted latching member, which will have no latch parts projecting behind the top of the follower plate, and which will permit an instantaneous unlatching of the follower by a slight forward pressure on the follower plate. I Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a simple and inexpensive arrangement for this purpose which will permit the ready insertion or removal of the follower without detaching the guide from the drawer, and an arrangement in which the expansion of the stack of cards will reinforce the latching 0f the follower in any-adjusted position of the latter.

Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a central, vertical and longitudinal section through the forward portion of a card file tray embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the bracket and spring portions of the follower of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section, taken transversely of the drawer from the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary vertical section,

taken longitudinally of the drawer from the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing the lower portions of the follower when the latter is in its normal or latched position. Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4;, showing the positions of the same parts when the follower plate has been tilted forward to release the latching.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary transverse section showing an alternative construction of the gu'ideways.

Illustrative of my invention, Figs. 1 and 3 show portions of a card file tray or drawer in which the bottom 1 has a depressed portion 1A extending longitudinally of the drawer. secured to this depressed bottom portion is a guideway consisting of a strip of metal which has its two lateral portions bent upwardly and then toward each other to afford U two spaced ledges 2A disposed at some distance above the bottom 2 of the guideway.

This guideway slidably houses a shoe 3 which forms the widened forward end of a follower bracket to which the follower plate a follower back 6 extending upward from the rear end of the shank 5 and oblique to the latter. The shank 5 is sufliciently narthe lower face of each ledge 2A from the gnideway bottomQ, sothat the shoe can rock forwardly or rearwardly about imaginary axes transverse of the guideway- Projecting forwardly from the follower bracket and en 'a in the u oer face ofthe a: a a: l

guideway bottom 2 is a spring 7, here shown as having its rear. end portion securedto the shank Sand having itsforwarden'd portion convexed downwardly so as to engage the guideway bottom along a line transverse of the guideway; Thisspring is so formed and fastened that its dox'vhwardly convexedguideway-engaging portion 7A would normally project farther below the top of the shoe 3 than the interior height of'the guide way, and hence will continuously press the forward upper edge of the shoe against the lower face of the ledges 2A; andthe spring is also formed and fastened so tha'tit will normally rock thesho'e downwardrearwardly about this on gagement of the shoe with the ledges, thereby pressing the lower rearedge of the shoe against the bottom 2. of the guideway,. as shown in Fig. 4. This rear shoe edge namely the juncture of the shoe bottom with the rear shoe face 3A is preferably at a sharp angle. I r I Llhe guideway preferahlydoes not extend to the front 8 of the drawer or tray, but has its forward end spaced from this front by a distance greater than that between thefforward endof the spring and the rear face of the shoe 3; thereby permittingthe shoeto be slid into the guideway from the front end of the latter. I r

l ihenthe shoe has thus been inserted, the spring rocks the shoe (and hence the'entire follower) as showninFigs. 8 and lt'sot-hat the bottom of the shoe slopes upwards forwardly. Owing to the above described sharp angle between the bottoni of the shoe ends and the rear faces of the latter, any pressure tending to slide the shoe re'arwardly will cause these sharp shoe edges to catch onthe bottom of the guideway. If the follower plate is pressed toward the rear of the tray or drawer, this will tend :to rbclf the shoe still more, thereby cramping the shoe. between the bottom and'tlie ledges of the guideway. Consequently,, the entire follower is normally latched against rearwardsliding, and the effectiveness of this latching is on- I handed by the pressure-of the stack of cards 9 a ainst the follower olate.

e l However, f the follower plate is pressed forwardly, this rocks the shoe so as to raise its rear edge off the bottom of the guideway, as shown in Fig. 5, and the entire follower can then he slid freely forward. To facilitate this forward sliding, I also preferably round the forward upperedge of the shoe, as Shown in the? drawings, thus? permitting the shoe to rock about the line of engagement of its forward upper rounded edge with the lower. 'face'sHof the ledgesQA. By -mal'zing the follower bracket shank 5 -slightlyi narrower and substantially T shaped sheet metal stamping and can i'e'adilybe \veld df to the spring and to the follo'wei plate;,while the desirab'le details of construction? and arrarl e1nent, incliiding a sliding shoe forming; an integral part of'a' follower trackeal do not' wish togbe'liiriited to the details of the features thus di'selosed; jsince changes" mightbe made withoiit departing H fie either froin the spirit; of my invention or from the appended claims. 4 For example, instead of employing aguideway formed separate from the drawer bottom and attached as a unit to the latter, I may employ the drawer or tray ho'tthm construction shown in Fig. 6. In this case, the drawer bottom 1 has a longitudinalslot 10. and" the bottom portions at oppositev sides ofthis lot form thefloverhanging ledges of guideway,.while" the bottom for this guidewayis afforded by a strip 11 having raisedside portions. welded to the drawer bottom.- Ineaeh of the illustrated. guideways, these include two laterally spaced counterparts troughs opening toward. each other.

Furthermore, I do hot wish to be limited to the use of my invention in connection with a file for cards, as it may be employed with equal advantages in a drawer or tray of guidewa'y also is easily formed from a metal ion prlgger size or use with letters, invoices or the I claim as my invention:

1. In a card index drawer, a guideway presenting two longitudinal and laterally spaced counterpart channel-shaped troughs each including an upper and a lower web, the said troughs having their mouths facing each other; a follower plate disposed above the guide troughs, a shank extending forwardly from the follower plate and having lateral projections respectively housed by the troughs, each of the said projections being sufficiently thinner than the width of the adjacent trough to permit a rocking of the projections in a place longitudinal of the drawer; and a spring secured to the said shank and extending forwardly beyond the said projections, the spring having a forward ortion normally pressing against the bottom of the guideway to rock the said projections so as to press the upper forward edges and the lower rear edges of the said projections respectively against the upper and lower webs of the troughs.

2. A drawer, guide trough and follower construction as per claim 1, in which the said upper forward edges of the projections are rounded.

3. A drawer, guide trough and follower construction as per claim 1, in which the said shank is slightly narrower than the spacing between the upper webs of the troughs and in which this shank extends past these upper webs at an acute angle tothe latter.

I. A card index drawer having a guideway extending longitudinally of the drawer, and a follower having at its lower end a portion slidably guided in the guideway; the guideway being formed to permit limited rocking of the said guided portion in a plane longitudinal of the drawer, and a flat spring fast upon and projecting from the follower longitudinally of the drawer, the spring having a forward portion normally engaging a guideway portion; the spring being formed so that it normally rocks the follower rearwardly to cause the lower rear edge of the slidably guided portion to engage the bottom of the guideway, thereby latching the follower against rearward sliding.

5. In a card file or the like, a drawer having a pair of laterally spaced guideway portions extending longitudinally of the drawer adjacent to the bottom of the drawer and having a third guideway portion extending below the said spaced port-ions; a follower plate above all of the said guideway portions; a bracket slidably guided by and extending between the laterally spaced guideway portions, a shoe on the bracket and interposed between the third guideway portion and the said pair of guideway portions, and a spring fastened at one end to the bracket and having near its other end a part continuously engaging one of the guideway portions; the spring being formed and disposed for normally rocking the shoe in a vertical plane'longitudinal of the drawer, so as to cramp the shoe between the third guideway portion and the said pair of guideway portions.

6. In a card fileor the like, a drawer having a pair of laterally spaced guideway portions extending longitudinally of the drawer adjacent to the bottom of the drawer and having a third guideway portion extending below the said spaced portions; a follower plate way portion, and to press the upper forward edge upwardly against both of the laterally spaced guideway portions. I

7 In a card file or the like, a drawer having a guideway extending longitudinally along its bottom, the guideway including a lower portion and an upper portion vertically spaced from the lower portion; a follower plate above the guideway, a bracket fast on the follower plate and extending forwardly from the latter and laterally guided by the V guideway, a shoe on the forward end of the bracket and movable in the guideway and formed for limited rocking movement on the guideway in a vertical plane longitudinal of the guideway, and a spring fast on the bracket and en aging a portion of the guideway; the spring eing formed for normally rocking th shoe on the guideway to the extent of its said limited rocking movement so as to cramp it between the lower and upper portions of the guideway.

8. In a card file or the like, a drawer having a horizontal guideway bottom extending longitudinally of the drawer and having two laterally-spaced upper guide webs disposed in a common horizontal plane above the guideway bottom; a shoe slidable between the guideway bottom and the said guide webs, the shoe being thinner than the spacing between the guideway bottom and the said webs; a follower plate above the upper guide webs; a bracket connecting the shoe rigidly with the follower plate; and spring means fast on the bracket for normally rocking th shoe about its engagement with the guide webs to press the lower rear edge of the shoe against the guideway bottom and for contiuuously pressing the forward upper edge of the shoe against the bottom of the upper guide web.

9. A file arrangement as pe'r claim 8, in which" the shoe hasa' rounded forward upper edge andasharp l'ower rear edge.

10: In a card file drawer or the'like, 21 guideway extending longitudinall? of the drawer and comprising a channel sect-icned member having its side Webs'recurved toward each other to form laterally spaced ledges overhanging: the bottom of thesaid member, a shoe s'lidable in the-'g'uideway and adapted tobe rocked in a vertical plane longitudinal of the guideway, a fcllowerp'late dispcs'cd above the guidew'ay; and fast uponthe' shoe, and-a springfast with respect totlie shoe and continually engaging-a p'crtion'of the guideway; thespring'be'ing formed for normally rocking the shoe s0 as to raise the for-ward face and depress the rear face of the shoe, thereby pressing the upper f rward edge of the shoe againstthe ledges and pressingf the lower rear edge of the shoe against the bottom of the guideway.

11; A guideway and'follower rrangement for a file drawer, as per claim 10, in which the spring projects beyond thcsho'e in one direction and in whichone end of the gfiide- Way is spaced from t'headja'cent' of the drawer by adi'sta'nce exceeding: the distance from the tip of the spring to the farther edge ofthe "shoe.

Signed at Green Bey,'-Wiseo'nsin; August 30th,1928.

FREDERICK L. G: STRAUBEL 

